Washington, Sep 17, 2007 -

Two hundred twenty years ago today, 55 delegates assembled in Philadelphia to, "form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity."

After lengthy (and often heated) debate, there were enough "aye" votes – 39, to be exact – on September 17, 1787 to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

The principles set forth by the Founding Fathers in the Constitution were expanded in the Bill of Rights, and refined over 220 years of political and legal development.

They remain the bedrock of American society. As American citizens, our daily lives are molded by the genius of their initial vision. And it is essential that we continue to honor the Constitution as the embodiment of the freedoms we hold dear.

That is why I introduced the US History Resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives.

This legislation acknowledges the importance of promoting U.S. History in our schools and communities, with a particular focus on America's founding documents.

We all have a civic duty to instill in future generations the importance and meaning of these documents.

And that is why I've also begun a program to work with Western North Carolina history teachers by coordinating online history lessons from my Washington office.

Using innovative virtual town hall technology, I build on the teachers' lesson plan by bringing a legislator's perspective to their classroom discussions on American history.

The first of these online classes will take place this Thursday with Mr. Andrew Daniels' American History class at Hickory High School. I'm looking forward to a thoughtful conversation with his class on events leading to the American Revolution, and I encourage all who are interested in the program to contact me at http://mchenry.house.gov/contact.

As the saying goes, those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.

And to avoid that fate, we should repeat the past often – in our classrooms and communities – to promote a better future for America.